7: Virtue or vice? Part 2

(You might want to read part 1 of "7: Virtue or vice?")

Paradoxical seven

Strong, but opposing, forces are at work in seven. Some result from incompatible number systems, but most are inherent in the number. Seven, being pulled between opposites, can go to the extremes.

Victory and failure

We have seen that Netzach means ‘victory,’ but also that the victory is precarious. While Trump 7—the Chariot—takes its meaning from the best that Netzach offers, the suit cards mirror the weakened energy in the sephirah. Some interpretations of these cards include failure or partial success, and demonstrate the struggle and courage that victory demands.

The flipside of success, self-control, and courage is hopelessness, defiance, and retreat.

Note that only the Kabbalah attributes victory to the number.

Balance and imbalance

Libra, with its scales, confers balance to the number. For several reasons, however, seven is likely to indicate imbalance.

After the balance and harmony of six, seven should bring turmoil and instability. Growth cannot happen without change, and change brings turmoil.

Unlike six, whose beauty lies partly in its symmetry, seven—as 3 + 4—is asymmetrical and unbalanced.

Tiphareth, the sixth sephirah on the Tree of Life, is the epitome of grace and beauty. In fact, it balances the whole Tree. Netzach, however, is precariously balanced on the Tree. As Aleister Crowley notes, “The position is doubly unbalanced; off the middle pillar, and very low down on the Tree” (Book of Thoth). As we have seen, Netzach’s energy is weakened, and the sephirah is associated with struggle. Netzach needs Hod to find balance (implying a dependency on outside help), and the two sephiroth find even more stability in their alignment with Yesod, the ninth sephiroth.

Any balance in seven is a delicate balance.

In the Chariot, we see balance as control over opposing forces. In the suit cards, it becomes a struggle to keep the balance, and in some of the cards balance has been lost.

Stability and instability

Closely related to balance is stability. The sixes portray an atmosphere of stability. Danger has been averted and good fortune is shared with others. Seven seems to teeter on the brink of a crisis, and some believe seven has already fallen. Asymmetrical and unbalanced, seven is associated with change, dreams, reflections and illusion. Seven says ‘be careful, things are not what they seem.’

Movement and rest

Biblically, seven is associated with rest, and therefore stillness. Numerically, however, harmonious six has passed, and a restlessness has set in. Seven starts a new cycle of three.

Odd numbers in Tarot usually bring disturbance, movement, and change. Threes are adventurous and gregarious. They also run into trouble, as the Three of Swords indicates. The fives symbolise the release of pent-up energy, causing chaos and pain. Seven likewise brings movement, but if we accept the influence of alchemy on the number, the change might be directed inwards. Seven can therefore suggest an inner upheaval rather than an outer one, and in times of apparent stillness or rest, psychological or spiritual changes may be taking place.

Of the esoteric systems under discussion, only the Bible suggests seven is rest, and even there the peace was about to be disrupted by the wrong choice. The Chariot shows rest after strife, but there are indications of turmoil, although firmly under the control of the charioteer. Most interpretations of the ‘sevens’ suit cards indicate defensive movement or even paralysis of choice. Changeability and deception are also common interpretations.

Chaos and order

Seven disturbs the harmony of six. Military elements in the cards of the two most influential decks (at least in the West)—Waite’s Rider-Waite-Smith and Crowley’s Thoth Tarot—suggest strife and disorder. Confusion and treachery reign.

Seven carries the energy of the seven classical ‘planets.’ Seen from earth, the movement of the planets can seem chaotic. The word ‘planet’ comes from the Greek word for ‘wanderer.’ To the ancient Greeks, planets were restless stars that wandered all over the night sky. Sometimes a planet might seem to move backwards, or seem to approach another planet. Earlier this year, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury ‘danced’ together for a few days.

This celestial dance of course has an exquisite pattern, but astronomers did not realise this until they accepted that the planets, including Earth, move around the sun in elliptical orbits, not around the earth in circular orbits. The telescope was invented at the beginning of the 17th century, and only then were the other planets—the ones not visible to the naked eye—visible, and factored into calculations.

The forces responsible for this precarious equilibrium are immense. The right amount of gravity and momentum keep the planets in their orbits, and the moon around the earth. A little more, and we’ll be heading straight into the sun. A little less, and we’ll shoot off into space. A single tiny change would have catastrophic consequences.

The moon seems to change shape and position from one night to the next. This changeability could be unnerving, unless you know that it occurs in cycles. The moon suggests both change and order.

Head and heart

We have seen that Netzach represents animal emotion. Venus, the planet assigned to it, is the goddess of love. Animal emotion—our instincts, needs and desires—is not inherently evil, but in Netzach there is a strong pull towards opposites.

Hod (animal reason) and Yetzirah (associated with air, and therefore will and reason) balance emotion with reason; so do Athena and Libra. The spheres above Netzach are pulling the sephirah towards the divine.

However, Netzach’s position on the Tree—low down and close to Malkuth—is drawing it towards earthy, materialistic love, and even farther down to where instincts and desires are out of control. Under these circumstances, passions and fears obscure reason. Instead, we see confusion, hopelessness, deception, and betrayal. These qualities are strengthened by the number’s association with the moon and Neptune.

Seven is attracted to learning—in particular subjects such as philosophy, psychology, and religion that concern the human mind and require a degree of solitude.

Because seven represents the seven classical ‘planets’ of Western astrology, it contains the accumulated wisdom of all the planets. Its quest for knowledge is ultimately a search for the meaning of life.

Seven is also attracted to occult, or hidden, knowledge. Seven wants to probe the mysteries. The word “occult” has taken on a negative connotation, mostly understood to mean “things not to be meddled with.” Satanism and black magic come to mind. But to seven, curiosity trumps all: it does not discriminate between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ knowledge. To seven, the ‘tree of all knowledge’ is irresistible. You can say that seven sometimes enjoys ‘digging in the dirt.’

The sacred …

In seven, there is a strong pull between the sacred and the profane. At its best, seven is drawn to the spiritual, wise, beautiful, perfect, and heroic.

Seven occurs many times in the major religions and spiritual traditions. In the Bible alone, seven is used hundreds of times to indicate perfection, completion, and holiness. (The exact number depends on which translation you use, and whether multiples of seven—such as 14 or 70—are counted.)

There are seven virtues, seven sacraments, seven gifts of the Spirit, seven joys of the Virgin Mary. Seven Jewish feasts prepare for the coming messiah. Wisdom builds her house with seven pillars. Passover is celebrated over seven days. The menorah has seven branches. It took Solomon seven years to build the temple. The Kabbalah recognises seven classes of angels. There are seven chakras in the human body. In Islam, there are seven heavens, earths, seas, hells and doors to paradise. Muslim pilgrims walk seven times around the sacred Kaaba at Mecca. Buddha had seven emblems. In Hinduism, the world mountain has seven faces, and the sun has seven rays. The seventh ray is a symbol of the centre, the power of God.

In a six-pointed star with a dot in the middle, the dot represents God.

Apart from Athena, several Greek and Egyptian gods and goddesses are linked to seven. One of these is Osiris, Egyptian god of the underworld, the afterlife, regeneration, and rebirth. Set, Osiris’ brother, tore Osiris’s body into 14 pieces—seven each for the Upper and Lower Egypt. Isis gathered the pieces of her husband’s body and resurrected him. In this way, Osiris became a symbol of victory over evil (Set) and death (eternal life).

Apollo—the sun god—was born on the seventh of a month, and sacrifices were made to him on the seventh day of every month. His lyre had seven strings.

Netzach reflects the beauty and perfection of Tiphareth; it gives them form (but not yet substance; this happens in Assiah, the Material World). Netzach is also associated with Venus, the embodiment of beauty. At the sacred end, we find spiritual and divine beauty, and the love of art and beauty in all forms.

Venus is of course also associated with love, which can be expressed in its highest form—love for the divine. In Netzach, closer to physical reality, love takes a more carnal form than in Tiphareth, and can refer to generous, selfless love between people, particularly between lovers.

… and the profane

On the other hand, there are seven deadly sins and, in Islam, seven hells. Jesus cast out seven devils from Mary Magdalene. The seven joys of the Virgin Mary is complemented by seven sorrows.

Crowley notes “the greatest catastrophe that can befall Venus is to lose her Heavenly origin” (Book of Thoth). A Venus closer to Earth than the divine can point to a fascination with sex, obsessive love, and uncontrolled lust. Lust replaces love, especially in its darker forms such as sadomasochism, bestiality, incest, and paedophilia.

Here, at the other extreme, seven is drawn towards the dark, ‘sinful,’ dangerous, tempting, and blasphemous.

The end, or the beginning of a cycle?

Seven completes many things: seven days complete a week, seven notes complete a scale, seven colours make up a rainbow, seven days completed creation.

Yet seven is not an ending: for that, we have to wait for nine (which completes the single-digit numbers), or ten (which completes the decade).

Some ‘sevens’ suit cards in Tarot seem to suggest finality: failure or futility. Beyond the sevens, however, movement continues until the nines, and the almost over-satiety of the tens.

Seven can suggest a broken completion: the grace and beauty of six is broken by seven. Creation was perfect until the snake entered. Harmony reigned until seven became curious and explored what, up to now, has been the unknown.

Completion in seven is an integration of opposites, rather than an ending.

Introvert seven

Six is a social number: as the ‘mediating intelligence,’ Tiphareth is the heart of the Tree, the sphere of redemption, compassion, love, and social responsibilities. In contrast, seven is an introvert number, preferring solitude and time set aside for study and reflection.

Cosmic seven

Seven integrates, often on a cosmic scale.

Seven integrates three and four, the triangle and the square. Thus, seven unites heaven and earth, spirit and matter, mind and body, conscious and unconscious, movement and stillness.

Whereas six balances male and female, seven integrates them.

Seven represents the solar system, because of its association with the seven classical planets.

These are elementary forces, and the tension between them is strong. If anything upsets the balance, the result could be an upheaval, either an inner one, or as noticeable as turmoil on a planetary scale.

Sevens can go to the extremes, and it takes the strong hand of the Charioteer to control them.

Finally, seven integrates all colours. The rainbow is not just a natural phenomenon; it represents God’s covenant with His people not to destroy the earth through floods again. One can also say that the light from the divine energy has come into contact with a prism, which throws the colours of the rainbow on seven. Seven converts the pure (invisible) light from Tiphareth into a more tangible form, and therefore more visible to the human eye.

… and so?

Like a rainbow or light through a prism, seven is multi-faceted. Which interpretation you apply will depend on two things: the card and its context (within the spread and within your current situation), and the particular system you apply. Let’s consider seven by taking each philosophy on its own:

The Kabbalah (Netzach and Venus)

When interpreting Tarot cards, most Tarot decks (in the West) follow the lead of the Golden Dawn. The order based their analysis of numbers on the Kabbalah, in particular the sephiroth on the Tree of Life. Seven (Netzach) is then associated with:

• victory, yet struggle, and with a real possibility of defeat and failure;
• courage and persistence, in an atmosphere of futility;
• animal emotion, which can be under control due to the influence of Hod, or unconstrained;
• beauty and awareness of beauty;
• self-expression through art;
• love (with the focus on relations between people, rather than love for the divine);
• imagination, which can inspire creativity or encourage delusions and illusions;
• imbalance and instability;
• a tendency to depend on others for balance;
• ‘hidden’ intelligence, which suggests an interest in the occult.

Astrology (Libra, the moon, and Neptune)

Astrology is a popular lens through which to view Tarot cards. Some use only astrology to interpret the cards, but astrology is also often combined with the Kabbalah. Astrology mostly strengthens the Netzach’s qualities:

• balance, harmony, fairness, the intellect and reason (which, if combined with the qualities of Netzach, strengthens the influence of Hod on the sephirah);
• spirituality;
• cycles, rhythms;
• the unconscious, including the instincts and needs of animal emotion;
• imagination, which can also be expressed as illusion, deception, treachery, and secretiveness (when used with the Kabbalah, these qualities can either strengthen or balance those of Netzach);
• flux, changeability, possible instability;
• eccentricity, even lunacy;
• retreat, seclusion, even imprisonment.

Pythagorean number mysticism (Athena)

• the intellect (and even stronger: wisdom);
• independence (which can be expressed as defiance, and perhaps defensiveness, depending on the position of the card);
• eccentricity, the ‘outsider;’
• secrecy (the ‘hidden’ monad);
• perfection.

Alchemy

• perfection;
• transmutation, transformation;
• spirituality (a spiritual journey).

The Bible

• perfection;
• completeness, fullness;
• rest;
• safety, security (from the Hebrew word for ‘oath’).

Creative seven

Seven displays many creative characteristics and qualities that enhance creativity. Remember that to be creative, a product, idea, improvement, or work of art (such as painting or composition) must be new, original, and useful.

Change, even chaos, can be a driver of creativity. It stirs things up and breaks the hold of ‘we have always done it this way.’ New possibilities and new perspectives appear.

Thinking and behaving in unconventional ways can have the same effect as change. The creative person is often unconventional, tends to question the status quo, and is even willing to break the rules. These qualities help the creative person to see possibilities where others don’t, and to think up original ideas or products.

Curiosity and imagination are the primary drivers of creativity. Curiosity leads you to explore widely—beyond your own domain—and imagination leads to possibilities or ideas that others cannot see. If creativity is mostly combining things, as many creative people have suggested, the more you explore, and the more information you take in, the better your chances of finding useful combinations. Change can put odd things together, encouraging unconventional combinations, and leading to associations between concepts and elements that are normally far apart.

Struggles, obstacles, and constraints (such as deadlines) can spur creativity. Difficulties can sharpen focus, and encourage the creative person to find new ways of doing things.

Like introvert seven, creative people need solitude to produce ideas. (Research now suggests that groups generate better ideas if every person has had a chance to work on her/his own before a brainstorming session.)

Recommended books

Anonymous. (c1888). Book T.--The Tarot (Written and privately circulated among members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn).

Case, P. F. (2006). The Tarot: A key to the wisdom of the ages (1st paperback edition.). New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher.

Crowley, A. (1981). The Book of Thoth: A short essay on the Tarot of the Egyptians (Equinox III:5). New York: S. Weiser.

DuQuette, L. M. (2001). The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford. York Beach, ME: Weiser Books.

DuQuette, L. M. (2003). Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot. Boston, MA: Weiser Books.

Sepharial. (1920). The Kabala of numbers. n.p.

Westcott, W. W. (1911). Numbers: Their occult power and mystic virtues (3rd ed.). London: Theosophical Pub. Society.

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• 7: Virtue or vice? Part 1(psychsoma.co.za)

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